Some 2,779 farmers had applied to the €100m Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) by Tuesday evening, a Department of Agriculture spokesperson has said.

The scheme, which was launched in response to the impact of Brexit on cattle prices, opened to applications on Monday.

Farmers must be a member of Bord Bia’s quality assurance scheme or an environmental scheme. This includes GLAS, BDGP, BEEP and the Organic Farming Scheme. The closing date for the scheme is 8 September 2019.